Abstract:
But then we swerved into Luddite territory. The professor lamented that technology "has turned us all into idiots" and he ridiculed the amount of money that has been poured into information technology, nanotechnology and biotechnology, which he condemned as "that blasted trio of transforming technologies". There was much sneering in the audience about neophilia — ephemeral crushes on new gadgets such as the iPhone rather than fidelity to golden oldies, such as the printed newspaper.